title: "Health is strength": a research collaboration involving Korean Americans in Alameda County.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This is a preliminary report from a research collaboration between Asian Health Services (community health center); Koreans in Alameda County, California; and the University of California at Berkeley School of Public Health. This five-year Centers for Disease Control and Prevention project supports a collaborative community intervention to improve breast and cervical cancer screening behavior among Korean women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A Korean Community Advisory Board and Korean-American staff were recruited, and community sensitive research (CSR) and participatory action research (PAR) principles were applied: (1) building community infrastructure for sustainable action, (2) cultural appropriateness, (3) assuring responsiveness to community needs, and (4) a prevention focus that would assist health care providers. We conducted a population-based telephone survey on 676 Korean adults (272 men and 404 women).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The collaborative process yielded (1) a high response rate (79%), (2) baseline health information on Korean Americans, (3) broadening of the original research topic, (4) survey responses that will guide intervention design, (5) culturally competent strategies, and (6) expanded Korean-American Community capacity for local action.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Research collaboration between universities, community-based organizations, and ethnic communities can yield high-quality research. CSR and PAR approaches help break through cultural barriers in otherwise "hard to reach" API sub-populations. Determinants of success include sharing common goals; trust, honesty, and integrity; shared decision making; mutual respect of each partner's expertise; cultural sensitivity and cultural competence; flexibility, good communication, and mutual learning; and continuity of partners. Actively engaging members of the study population in the research process builds community capacity, thus laying the foundation for future projects that improve health status.
authors.affiliation: Asian Health Services, Oakland, CA, USA.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Wismer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lew
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Min
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Moskowitz
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Tager
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001213:Asian; D002140:California; D003151:Community Health Centers; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011634:Public Health; D012106:Research